The Thneed of Running Gear

I’ve made a reference to Dr. Suess’ The Lorax[4] before. What sticks with me from the Thneed[5]—after watching it with 8 year olds once a week for a whole summer as a camp counselor—is that it converted into so many useful things.

“It’s a shirt. It’s a sock. It’s a glove. It’s a hat. But it has OTHER uses. Yes, far beyond that. You can use it for carpets. For pillows! For sheets! Or curtains! Or covers for bicycle seats!"

So, in the spirit of the Thneed, I’d like to draw attention to versatile, convertible running gear.

The Buff[6], for instance. This tubular shaped piece of wicking material can be twisted into a hat. It can be worn as a neck gaitor during cold runs, a bandana during long races on hot days. It can be twisted around your wrist for a sweatband. And, as the folks on Survivor[7] show us, the larger versions can be worn as a skirt or tube top (probably once you lose half your body weight from starving on an island).

There’s also the Gel-Bot[8]. This water bottle/gel dispenser doesn’t convert to many things like the Buff, but it does carry water like a standard water bottle, then change to a gel container with a tweak of the cap, and back. It’s kind of the Transformer[9] of hydration/nutrition carriers.

There’s a company called Core Concepts making shirts [10]and other items that tuck into their own pockets and become a fanny pack, waist strap and all. This is more of a hiking application that running, and I don’t find it too cumbersome to simply tie a shirt around my waist with just the sleeves, but it’s good to see new thinking out there.

There’s the JakPak[11] (see ridiculous pic of me and a friend trying them on at a trade show)—a jacket that turns into a self-contained, full-body shelter/sleeping bag. It’s completely waterproof, and therefore, a whole lot of fairly heavy material to lug around in this attached backpack...Overkill for running, but this would come in very handy at, say, a late-fall football game or kids’ soccer game, sitting in the stands and staying dry in the rain.

And then there’s the Snuggie.[12] Oh, the Snuggie, and its campy commercials. “It’s the blanket with sleeves!” I cringe every time that guy raises the roof with that goofy look on his face. Drives me nuts, but I do appreciate the ingenuity.